Sack Lal Singh, Ganga: Ambika Soni to BJP

Congress general secretary and its Kashmir in-charge AmbikaSoni on Monday called the resignation of the two BJP ministers Chaudhary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga as an “eye wash” and demanded their expulsion from the party.

“The two ministers have supported criminals and they should have been sacked from the party,” Soni told the Greater Kashmir. “It is surprising that the BJP is doing politics over the issue.”

The BJP, on the other hand, has asked the Congress to remove its state president Ghulam Ahmad Mir as he too had supported the accused in the Kathua rape and murder.

“We won’t give up the demand for the removal of state Congress president as he has a role,” the BJP General Secretary Ashok Kaul said. “ And his role is established.”

On Sunday the BJP had released a video purportedly showing Mir terming the police probe in the Kathua case as motivated and defending the public protests against it.

In the video, Mir is heard saying that the “real culprit in the case is being allowed to get away for political reasons”. Mir also asks the government to pay attention to the protests mounted by the fringe groups in favour of the accused and supports their demand for a CBI probe.

"Let their point be heard... nowhere have they said that they don't want justice for the victim. They say they want justice for the victim. Let the real culprit be found," Mir is heard saying.

However, Soni defended Mir saying the video that the BJP was talking about was one and a half month old.

“It was because of Mir’s demand that there was some progress and action in the case,” Soni said.

She said there was no question of sacking Mir. “We have expelled a party activist for supporting the culprits,” she said adding that nobody can charge Congress of supporting the criminals. “We did not support and we stand by the victim.”

Soni also expressed surprise over the approach of the BJP leader DrJitendra Singh towards Kathua crime. “Union minister and Udhampur MP DrJitendra Singh has not spoken a word and earlier has supported the people who demanded CBI probe. He had also said that no politician or any official, at any high position, had the right to make judgmental remarks on the crime,” she said. “Dr Singh must speak on the issue”.